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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. land — a country
  4. march — music
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. march — the month
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. field — for sport
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. field — a subject
  16. chest — a box
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. march — the month
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. field — farmland
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com